Scandinavian Airlines

Founding

The airline was founded on 1 August 1946, when Svensk Interkontinental Lufttrafik AB (an airline owned by the Swedish Wallenberg family), Det Danske Luftfartselskab A/S, and Det Norske Luftfartselskap AS (the flag carriers of Denmark and Norway) formed a partnership to handle the combined air traffic of the three Scandinavian countries.[18] The first president of SAS was Per Norlin.[19] On 17 September 1946, operations started under the new entity and the first international service was conducted between Stockholm and New York.[20] Within a half-year, SAS set a new record for carrying the heaviest single piece of air cargo across the Atlantic on a scheduled passenger airliner, by shipping a 1,400-pound electrical panel from New York to the Sandvik company in Sweden.[21]

In 1948, the Swedish flag carrier AB Aerotransport joined SAS and quickly coordinated its European operations between both carriers. Three years later, the companies formally merged to form the SAS Consortium.[20] When established, ownership of the airline was divided between SAS Danmark (28.6%), SAS Norge (28.6%), and SAS Sverige (42.8%), all of which were owned 50% by private investors and 50% by their governments.[22]

Transpolar route

During 1954, SAS became the first airline to commence scheduled flights on a polar route, flying Douglas DC-6Bs from Copenhagen to Los Angeles with stops in Søndre Strømfjord (now Kangerlussuaq) in Greenland and Winnipeg in Canada, pioneering a commercial route that marked a milestone in transpolar aviation history.[20] By the summer of 1956, traffic on the route had justified the frequency to be increased to three flights per week. The service proved relatively popular with Hollywood celebrities and members of the film industry, and the route turned out to be a publicity coup for SAS. Thanks to a tariff structure that allowed free transit to other European destinations via Copenhagen, this trans-polar route gained increasing popularity with American tourists throughout the 1950s.[20]

In 1957, SAS was the first airline to offer around-the-world service over the North Pole via a second polar route served by Douglas DC-7Cs flying from Copenhagen to Tokyo via Anchorage International Airport in Alaska.[20] The flight via Alaska was a compromise solution since the Soviet Union would not allow SAS, among other air carriers, to fly across Siberia between Europe and Japan, and Chinese airspace was also closed.[20]

Jet era

In 1959, SAS entered the jet age, having procured a number of French-built Sud Aviation Caravelles as the company's first jetliner.[20]

In addition to modern airliners, SAS also adopted innovative operating practices and systems to improve the customer experience. In 1965, it was the first airline to introduce an electronic reservation system.[20] During 1971, SAS introduced its first Boeing 747 jumbo jet into service.[23] Prior to the delivery of its first 747s, SAS had formed the KSS maintenance consortium with KLM and Swissair in 1969 to provide a maintenance pool and standardize aircraft specifications for the three airlines' 747 fleets. The consortium later incorporated UTA and was renamed into KSSU to jointly acquire and maintain McDonnell Douglas DC-10 widebody trijets.[24][25] In 1982, SAS was recognised as the most punctual airline operating in Europe at that time.[20]

During its first decades, the airline built two large hotels in central Copenhagen, SAS Royal Hotel (5 stars) and the even larger SAS Hotel Scandinavia (4 stars, with a casino on the 26th floor).[20] In 1980, SAS opened its first hotel outside of Scandinavia, the SAS Kuwait Hotel. By 1989, SAS's hotel division owned a 40 percent share in the Intercontinental Hotels Group.[20] Following the deregulation of commercial aviation in Europe and the competitive pressures from new rivals, SAS experienced economic difficulties (as did many incumbent flag carrier airlines) this heavily contributed to the airline's decision to sell its hotel chain to the Radisson Hotel Group during 1992.[20]

Consolidation, acquisitions, and partnerships

During the early 1990s, SAS unsuccessfully tried to merge itself with KLM, along with Austrian Airlines and Swissair, in a proposed combined entity commonly called Alcazar.[26][27] However, months of negotiations towards this ambitious merger ultimately collapsed due to multiple unsettled issues; this strategic failure heavily contributed to the departure of Carlzon that same year and his replacement by Jan Reinås.[19] The airline marked its 50th year of operation on 1 August 1996 with the harmonization and name of SAS's parent company to SAS Danmark A/S, SAS Norge ASA and SAS Sverige AB.[20] During May 1997, SAS became a founding member of the global Star Alliance network, joining with airlines such as Air Canada, Lufthansa, Thai Airways International, and United Airlines.[28][29]

In June 2001, the ownership structure of SAS was changed, with a holding company being created in which the holdings of the governments changed to Sweden (21.4%), Norway (14.3%), and Denmark (14.3%), while the remaining 50 percent of shares were publicly held and traded on the stock market.[20] During 2004, SAS was again restructured, being divided into four separate companies: SAS Scandinavian Airlines Sverige AB, SAS Scandinavian Airlines Danmark A/S, SAS Braathens AS, and SAS Scandinavian International AS. SAS Braathens was re-branded SAS Scandinavian Airlines Norge AS in 2007.[30][20]

2009–2021: Restructuring

With the growth of budget airlines and decreasing fares in Scandinavia, the business experienced financial hardship. By 2009, competitive pressures had compelled the airline to launch a cost-cutting initiative. In the first step of which, the business sold its stakes in other companies, such as British Midland International, Spanair, and airBaltic, and began to restructure its operations.[31][32][33] During January 2009, an agreement to divest more than 80 percent of the holdings in Spanair was signed with a Catalan group of investors led by Consorci de Turisme de Barcelona and Catalana d'Inciatives.[34] These changes reportedly reduced the airliner's expenses by around 23 per cent between 2008 and 2011.

In November 2012, the company came under heavy pressure from its owners and banks to implement even heavier cost-cutting measures as a condition for continued financial support. Negotiations with the respective trade unions took place for more than a week and exceeded the original deadline; in the end, an agreement was reached between SAS and the trade unions that would increase the work time, cutting employee's salaries by between 12 and 20 percent, along with reductions to the pension and retirement plans; these measures were aimed at keeping the airline as an operating concern. SAS was criticized for how it handled the negotiations, having reportedly denied facilities to the union delegations.[35]

During 2017, SAS announced that it was forming a new airline, Scandinavian Airlines Ireland, operating out of Heathrow Airport and Málaga Airport to fly European routes on its parent's behalf using nine Airbus A320neos.[36] SAS sought to replace its own aircraft with cheaper ones crewed and based outside Scandinavia to compete better with other airlines.[37][38] The Swedish Pilots Union expressed its dissatisfaction with the operational structure of the new airline, suggesting it violated the current labour-agreements.[39] The Swedish Cabin Crew Union also condemned the new venture and stated that SAS established the airline to "not pay decent salaries" to cabin crew.[40]

In 2018, SAS announced that it had placed an order for 50 Airbus A320neo narrow-body jetliners to facilitate the creation of a single-type fleet. That same year, the Norwegian government divested its stake in the airline.[20] As part of an environmental initiative launched by San Francisco International Airport (SFO), SAS flights operating out of SFO since December 2018 have been supplied with sustainable aviation fuel from Shell and SkyNRG.[41][42]

In July 2021, the European Commission approved a Swedish and Danish aid measure of approximately US$356 million to support SAS.[43] In September 2021, SAS announced that it would establish two operating subsidiaries; SAS Connect and SAS Link, with its existing SAS Ireland subsidiary to be rebranded as the new SAS Connect, while SAS Link would initially operate the airline's Embraer E195 aircraft, and the operations of both companies to begin by early 2022.[44][45][46]

2022–2024: Sweden's exit, Air France-KLM entry and alliance shift

Following little progress with SAS's restructuring plan, SAS Forward, the Swedish government announced on 7 June 2022 that Sweden, which owns 21.8% of the company, would not inject new capital into SAS and that it did "not aim to be a long-term shareholder in the company".[47][48] The airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States on 5 July 2022.[49]

In September 2022, SAS announced it was returning at least ten aircraft to lessors, including five long-haul aircraft - amongst them two barely two year old Airbus A350s. This measure is a result of the closure of Russian airspace for flights to Asia which caused a severe drop in demand and efficiency.[50] As of November 2022, SAS announced it was searching for a buyer for one of their Airbus A350 aircraft.[51]

In October 2023, it was announced that Air France–KLM would be investing alongside the Danish government and two investment firms (Castlelake and Lind Invest) in SAS, with the airline group buying up to 20% of SAS shares following the airline's ongoing Chapter 11 process in the United States. With the investment (if approved by the EU Commission, and respective US and Swedish courts),[52] SAS left Star Alliance and joined SkyTeam alongside Air France–KLM.[53][54]

On 19 March 2024, US Bankruptcy Court approved the new restructuring plan and investment, allowing SAS to exit Chapter 11 by mid 2024.[55][56] It also applied for company reorganization in Sweden on 27 March.[57] announced it would leave Star Alliance by 31 August 2024, becoming a SkyTeam member the next day, as confirmed on 29 April.[58][59][60] On 12 June, Stockholm District Court announced that it will held a hearing for the company reorganization on 12 July,[61] eventually approving it on 19 July.[62] On 28 June, European Commission announced that it approved the restructuring plan.[63][64]

In September 2024, Scandinavian Airlines announced it would terminate its wet-leasing contract with Xfly by November 2024.[65] On 17 September 2024, SAS announced a partnership with Braathens Regional Airlines (BRA), designating them as a subcontractor to operate flights from Stockholm Arlanda Airport starting in 2025, with BRA announcing it would cease operating its own domestic flight network from Stockholm Bromma Airport.[66] This collaboration, valued at approximately SEK 6 billion over seven years, aims to strengthen SAS's domestic network in Sweden, increasing daily departures to destinations such as Visby, Gothenburg, Malmö, and Luleå.[67]

On 18 September 2024, just a month after the completion of the restructuring, SAS announced expansion of the route network from Copenhagen Airport with 15 new destinations from Summer 2025. Following the new ownership structure, the airline will focus on positioning the airport as the airline's main hub for international travel.[68]

On 4 July 2025, Air France-KLM announced its intention to increase its stake in SAS’s share capital from 19.9% to 60.5%.[69]

Business trends

The key trends for Scandinavian Airlines Group (which includes SAS Cargo, SAS Ground Handling, and SAS Tech), are shown below (since 2012, for years ending 31 October):[70]

Head office

Scandinavian Airlines' head office is located in the SAS Frösundavik Office Building in, Solna Municipality, Stockholm County. Between 2011 and 2013, the head office was located at Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) in Sigtuna Municipality, Sweden.[87] The SAS Cargo Group A/S head office is in Kastrup, Tårnby Municipality, Denmark.[88]

The SAS Frösundavik Office Building,[89][90] was designed by Niels Torp Architects and built between 1985 and 1987. The move from Solna to Arlanda was completed in 2010.[91] A previous SAS head office was located on the grounds of Bromma Airport in Stockholm.[92] In 2013, SAS announced that it once again would relocate to Frösundavik.[93]

Joint ventures

Scandinavian Airlines has Joint venture agreements with the following airlines:

• Singapore Airlines[97]

Codeshare agreements

Scandinavian Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:[98]

• Aegean Airlines
• All Nippon Airways
• Air France
• Delta Air Lines[99]
• Etihad Airways[100]
• Icelandair[101]
• TAP Air Portugal[102]
• TAROM[103]
• Thai Airways International[104]
• Vietnam Airlines[105]
• Virgin Atlantic[106]

Interline agreements

Scandinavian Airlines has interlining agreements with the following airlines:

• Aerolineas Argentinas[107]
• Air France[108]
• Air Greenland[109]
• DAT[110]
• KLM[108]
• Pakistan International Airlines[111]

Current fleet

As of September 2025, Scandinavian Airlines operates an all-Airbus mainline fleet composed of the following aircraft:[112][113][114]

Additionally, SAS operates a single Boeing 737-700 equipped for MEDEVAC on behalf of the Norwegian Armed Forces and the Norwegian Directorate for Health and Social Affairs. This last remaining 737 is to be retired and replaced by a similarly configured Airbus A320neo.[119]

As of August 2025, Scandinavian Airlines also has the following regional aircraft operated by its subsidiaries and other carriers under wet-lease agreements:

Future fleet plans

Short haul

On 20 June 2011, SAS announced an order for 30 new A320neo aircraft as part of its fleet harmonization plan.[126] SAS' stated goal is to have an all-Airbus fleet at its bases in Stockholm and Copenhagen by 2019, with a mixed A320neo and A320ceo fleet operation at both bases. The base in Oslo was then operate mostly Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with a few 737-700s also being retained at the time. The older, smaller 737-600s were disposed of in 2019.[127] The first order of A320neos was delivered in October 2016.[128]

In April 2018, SAS announced an order of 50 more A320neos to replace all 737NGs and older A320ceos in service as part of its goal to have an all-Airbus fleet by 2023.[116] The last Boeing 737 has been phased out of the fleet on 19 November 2023. This Boeing 737-700, registered LN-RRB and named "Dag Viking", was operating as SAS Flight 737. As of now, the aircraft is currently operated by Canadian North as C-FHNH.

Long haul

On 25 June 2013, SAS and Airbus signed a memorandum of understanding stating that SAS intends to buy twelve new-generation aircraft, including six options. The agreement consists of eight A350-900s with six options and four A330-300Es. The first new long-haul aircraft to enter service will be the A330-300E, which was originally planned to replace the aging A340-300s in 2015 as leasing agreements on these aircraft expire. Instead, SAS renewed the leasing agreements to be able to expand its long-haul fleet and used the new A330-300Es to add more long-haul destinations to its network.

The first six of eight Airbus A350-900s for SAS were delivered to the airline in 2019 and were to be operating long-haul routes from 2020. The A350 will first fly on the Copenhagen and Chicago route, with the airline planning Beijing, New York, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong and San Francisco when more A350 aircraft are delivered.[129]

Livery

In September 2019, SAS unveiled new livery for its fleet, initially implemented on new A350 and A320neo aircraft,[130] with all aircraft repainted in the following five years. The fuselage is light grey with the "SAS" logotype in silver displayed prominently across the height of the front section. The vertical stabilizer and adjacent parts of the fuselage are blue, with the SAS logo in white shown on the stabilizer. The blue area on the rear fuselage extends towards the front in a curved line. The horizontal stabilizers are beige (except for the ATR 72 aircraft, where they are blue). Winglets are blue as well. The engine casings are beige with a vertical blue stripe at the front and bear the word "Scandinavian" in blue. "Scandinavian" in large blue letters is also displayed on the underbelly of the aircraft.[130]

The previous livery, designed by SthlmLab (Stockholm Design Lab), had been introduced in 1998. SAS aircraft look predominantly white; however, the fuselage is in a very light beige (Pantone Warm Gray 2/Pantone 9083C) with "Scandinavian" above the windows in silver lettering (Pantone 877) and "Airlines" below the windows in white. The typeface used is Rotis Semi Serif. The vertical stabilizer (and winglets) are painted blue (Pantone 2738C) with the classic white SAS logo on it. It is a variant of the traditional SAS logotype, slimmed slightly and stylized by the design company Stockholm Design Lab as part of the SAS livery change. The engine casing is painted in scarlet (Pantone Warm Red/Pantone 179C) with the word Scandinavian in white, the thrust reversers in the color of the fuselage. All other text is painted in Pantone Warm Gray 9. The design also features stylized versions of the Scandinavian flags. All aircraft are named, traditionally after Vikings.

To celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2006, SAS painted its first Airbus A319-100, with registration OY-KBO and name "Christian Valdemar Viking", in retro livery;[131] it remained in service as of 2025.[132]

SAS Business

On long-haul flights, business class, called SAS Business, is offered and features wide sleeper seats. On the A330s and A350s, seating is 1-2-1 on seats that convert into 196 – flat beds, with power sockets and a 15 in entertainment screen. On the A321LRs, business class has alternating 2-2 and 1-1 seating, all convertible to flat beds.[133]

SAS Plus

Plus is SAS' premium economy class. On the A330s, seating is 2-3-2, 2-4-2 on the A350s and 2-2 on the A321LR. The seats offered on SAS Plus are wider than those in the SAS Go section.

On European flights, SAS Plus tickets are refundable and include a meal, a double checked-in baggage allowance, and access to lounges and fast track security at the airport. The SAS Plus passengers are seated at the front of the aircraft and passengers can choose their seat at booking for free, but the seats there are otherwise the same as the SAS Go seats. The two-class system was introduced in June 2013, when business class was eliminated from intra-European flights.[134]

SAS Go

SAS Go, or economy class, offers 3-3 seating on intracontinental flights, 2-4-2 on the A330s and 3-3-3 on the A350s.

SAS offers free coffee and tea to GO passengers on short-haul services, except very short flights like Bergen-Stavanger or Stockholm-Visby. Meals are served to all passengers on long-haul flights.

SAS Go Light

SAS Go Light is a variant of SAS Go with no checked luggage included. Tickets are sold in the same booking class as SAS Go and are otherwise identical. As of 14 December 2017, SAS Go Light is available on both European and long-haul flights. SAS Go Light is aimed at competing with low-cost carriers for those who travel with hand luggage only. Extra luggage allowance for Star Alliance Gold, and EuroBonus Silver, Gold, and Diamond members does not apply on SAS Go Light tickets and is only valid for EuroBonus Pandion members.

EuroBonus

SAS's frequent-flyer program is called EuroBonus. Members earn points on all SAS flights, Widerøe routes with no SAS competition (except Public Service Operations) as well as on Star Alliance flights. Around 50 percent of SAS' total revenues are generated by EuroBonus members. By August 2015, the EuroBonus program had in excess of four million members.[135]

Hovercraft

Between 1984 and 1994, SAS operated a hovercraft service between Malmö in Sweden and Copenhagen Airport in Denmark. Travellers could check in for their flights in Malmö and the hovercraft were operated as connecting flights. The service was operated using a handful of British Hovercraft Corporation AP1-88s, which took an average journey time of 45 minutes to traverse the 17 mi route across the Øresund; within its first year of operation, hovercraft reportedly carried roughly 100,000 passengers.[136] Due to the level of demand experienced, SAS examined the prospects for introducing larger hovercraft, capable of carrying up to 200 passengers, for the service.[136] However, in 1994, the hovercraft were replaced by catamarans. These vessels were in turn discontinued during 2000 due to the opening of the Öresund bridge, which provided a competing rail link between Malmö and Copenhagen airport.[137]

Wi‑Fi

During May 2018, SAS launched a new high-speed Wi‑Fi internet access system supplied by Viasat. The new system was announced to enable passengers to stream movies on board. Prior to this, SAS offered Internet access on board on its long haul aircraft and a small number of Boeing 737s. Wi‑Fi internet access is free for Eurobonus Gold and Diamond members and those with Business Class tickets. Otherwise, it can be purchased with EuroBonus points or for a fee.[138]

Non-aviation related incidents

Controversial advertising campaign

On 10 February 2020, SAS released 2 minutes and 45 seconds long commercial on YouTube titled "What is truly Scandinavian?"[139] which tells a story about company's values and highlighting the ideas and inventions that globalism brought to Scandinavia, which caused an outrage among right-wing groups due to its perceived denigration of Scandinavian culture.[140][141][142][143] On 12 February 2020, SAS Group, a parent company of SAS, released a statement that they would continue with the advertising campaign despite the outrage.[144]

On 13 February 2020, 3 days after the commercial was published, SAS offices in Adelgade, Copenhagen and advertising agency &Co which produced the commercial received bomb threats.[145][146][147][148][149] Later, a shorter 45 second version of the same commercial was republished on Facebook by SAS and official version on YouTube made private.[145][148][149]

Responses

Norwegian Air quickly reacted to the controversy by publishing the message "Fortunately, nobody can take away the cheese slicer from us" and an image on Facebook of a cheese slicer, which is a Norwegian invention.[150][151]